Family of Kwaito Legend Siphiwe Sibisi Scammed While Preparing His Funeral
The family of the late Kwaito star, Siphiwe “General” Sibisi, has fallen victim to a scam while making arrangements for his funeral.
Sibisi, the last living member of the iconic Kwaito group ‘Chiskop,’ passed away on Sunday, 29 September 2024, following a battle with cancer.
His funeral is scheduled for this Saturday, but amidst their grief, the family now faces the aftermath of a cruel scam.
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The Tragic Passing of Siphiwe “General” Sibisi
Siphiwe Sibisi, a beloved figure in South African music, died after undergoing major surgery due to his cancer battle.
While the family was preparing for his burial, they received a call from a man claiming to be an advocate from Universal Music. This man falsely offered to assist the family with insurance claims related to Sibisi’s estate.
Bogus Lawyer Targets Grieving Family
General’s younger sister, Zamo Mguli, shared her experience with the scammer. Speaking to Zimoja, Zamo explained that the man, posing as Advocate Sekoto, called her shortly after her brother’s death, claiming he was handling the estate matters.
“He told me that he couldn’t speak to me because I wasn’t listed as a beneficiary on Siphiwe’s estate, but mentioned that my brother Xolani was,” Mguli said.
The fake lawyer enticed the family by mentioning a substantial amount of money, including a R300,000 insurance payout that Sibisi was supposedly covered for.
The scammer asked the family for ID copies, proof of address, and banking details, promising that the funds would be transferred after they fulfilled certain requirements.
The Fraud Unfolds
Initially, the scam seemed legitimate. However, the red flags began when the scammer requested an upfront payment of R4,000, citing penalties that needed to be paid before the insurance money could be released. Mguli explained,
“I asked if he couldn’t deduct it from the estate, but he insisted it had to be paid upfront. I decided to pay.”
The scam escalated quickly. An hour after paying the R4,000, Mguli received another call, this time claiming there was an additional R800 tax clearance fee that needed to be paid to a different account. Trusting the supposed advocate, Mguli made the second payment.
Realization of the Scam
It wasn’t until the family was instructed to move Siphiwe Sibisi’s body to a different mortuary, allegedly used by Universal Music, that they began to suspect something was wrong.
“I kept trying to reach him to confirm details about the body transfer, but he stopped responding,” Mguli recounted.
In desperation, she called the mortuary the scammer had mentioned, only to be told that they had no record of her brother. Shortly after, Mguli’s bank contacted her to alert her of suspicious transactions.
“The bank informed me that the account I had paid into was being investigated for fraud. That’s when we realized we had been scammed,” Mguli said.
An Ongoing Investigation
Mguli later learned that the fraudulent scheme targeting grieving families was part of a larger, ongoing scam. The family is now working with the bank’s fraud department to recover the funds.